Parliamentary Speeches
98 speeches by Nathaniel Erskine-Smith — Page 2 of 2
Government Orders
Madam Speaker, in that case, I think I answered in the course of my comments, but I and others would be able to put pointed questions to the government in question period if we were able to be accommodated via the Speaker and not the whip's office.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I know many colleagues have seen probably first-hand the importance of virtual Parliament in my own life, because my kids are often on the screen. I am a better father. I am also a better parliamentarian and certainly a better husband. I have spoken to colleagues about this, and I will continue to speak to colleagues on all sides of the chamber, but especially on my own side.
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I would say that there will be a role for oil and gas. I noted that by 2050, that role will be for non-combustion purposes principally. Certainly we are going to see a steady decline over the coming decades in the production and use of oil and gas, especially for combustion purposes. I suppose my answer is simply to say that I do not have the same challenges with our country as a pr…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I want to begin by saying that I appreciate the spirit of the motion and, for the most part, I also agree with it in substance. There is one particular point of contention that I will get to, but first I will start with where I agree. The motion notes that oil and gas companies are making record profits at the same time as Canadians are paying more than ever for gas at the pumps. We…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am not going to justify federal investment in TMX. I am not going to justify EDC's role in financing TMX and other fossil fuel infrastructure. What I will emphasize, though, is the importance of the overall emissions reduction plan and the serious climate action that we have seen over the last six and a half years. This is such critical action that climate experts overwhelmingly e…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, the best argument is around opportunity costs and saying we should invest this money elsewhere, but my point is that there are many experts who do support CCUS technology, and when we look at the scale of the challenge, we should be examining and embracing every single opportunity to address climate change and reduce emissions. CCUS is one such option. We should not ignore it, and w…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, I rise to present e-petition 3812. The petitioners note that while Canada has committed to advancing gender equality, sexual and gender-based violence continues within the RCMP, and that officer-to-officer organizational violence, combined with the failure to investigate the complaint seriously, results in an unsafe and hostile workplace. The hundreds of petitioners, including lead …
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, local journalism is a public good that we need to defend, and on behalf of my community, I want to recognize the 50th anniversary of our local Beach Metro Community News. Its first edition was four pages with an editorial that said, “[Our] success as a newspaper will depend on the quality of the news we write and the community’s response to the idea of a paper that will reflect and co…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, in 2015 we ran on a platform to encourage freer votes in the House of Commons. That platform said in effect that there would be free votes except on three issues: platform commitments, human rights or charter-related issues, and confidence votes, including budget considerations. It was not only budget considerations, though. My reading of our parliamentary history is that it is well…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, in the four branches in section 2 of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, there is reference to foreign influence. It is generally understood to be state-sponsored foreign influence. I do think we ought to be wary here, and perhaps have permanent rules with proper due process to address that issue going forward. I do not think we want to address that issue, which is not g…
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, the question before us is whether we ought to confirm the government's declaration of an emergency pursuant to section 58 of the Emergencies Act. I have really struggled with the answer to that question, and I will get to that. The first question we should all reflect on is a more basic one: How did it even come to this? Some Conservative colleagues have made the case that we could …
Read full speech →Orders Of The Day
Madam Speaker, the hon. member is correct. To be honest, it is those additional measures that actually give me greater comfort. When we see that there is a parliamentary committee that will be struck, when we see that there is an inquiry, when we know that 20 members of Parliament or 10 senators can call for a revocation before the end of the 30-day cycle and we can have a vote on that, I would ho…
Read full speech →Statements By Members
Madam Speaker, with the passing of John Honderich, we lost a dedicated city builder and a newspaperman who believed deeply in the value of journalism, both in the service of progressive values and as an essential part of a healthy democracy. Born into newsrooms, John started as a copy-boy and night reporter with the Ottawa Citizen before joining the Toronto Star as a reporter, going on to become b…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
moved for leave to introduce Bill C-247, An Act to prohibit fur farming. Mr. Speaker, commercial fur farming is cruel to the animals that face horrible conditions every day, and it poses a real risk to human health, including pandemic risk. Many countries have already put an end to this practice and Canada should do the same. Animal science experts describe the filthy and cramped conditions as inh…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Mr. Speaker, we need to vaccinate the world to save lives, protect our economic recovery and prevent the next variant. As it stands, of the 10 billion doses administered to date, only 10% have been administered in low-income countries. This not only falls short of our moral obligation to those who have less. It also means continued supply chain disruptions and the potential for a dangerous variant…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, the member and I have engaged on this subject in the past here in the House. It feels a bit like déjà vu, and many more people have died since. Recently, in June, the expert task force on substance use recommended bold action on three fronts. I do not think this is sufficient, and I think we need to expand treatment options. We also know that thousands of Canadians are dying because o…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, at the outset, I will be sharing my time with the member for Vancouver Centre. I also want to thank the member for Yukon for ensuring that this take-note debate happened. I very much appreciate his advocacy and the health-focused advocacy that he has. The sheer scale of this crisis is hard to fathom. We have lost 25,000 Canadians since the beginning of 2016. Every one of those has a p…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I have jointly seconded that bill. I will happily support that bill. I will support any legislation that moves us closer to a safer supply and that moves us closer to an evidence-based approach that treats drug use as the health issue that it is. We do not treat gambling addiction with the criminal law. We do not treat alcohol addiction with the criminal law. However, we think this is…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, I will say two things. I worked closely with the president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Bryan Larkin, to ensure that a bill I introduced in the House had their support. By the way, that bill is now part of Bill C-5, and that bill has their support. Regardless of new spending, that bill will have the support of the chiefs of police, and I hope it has the support of …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Chair, far be it from me to commend the government for certain actions, but I will say that, on this particular crisis, we have seen significant action since 2015. We have seen an expansion of supervised consumption sites. We know that those save lives. We have seen hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, including to expand treatment options. We have seen the restoration of harm reducti…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions to table today. First, over 1,500 Canadians have signed a petition raising concerns about Israel's designation of six leading Palestinian civil society organizations as terrorist organizations. They note the concerns raised by the UN special rapporteurs condemning the designation, and they call on the Government of Canada to call upon Israeli authorities to immedi…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the second petition has been signed by almost 1,000 Canadians. They are calling attention to the fact that non-believers are persecuted in several countries, both by governments and the public. The petitioners note that freedom of religion includes freedom from religion. They call upon the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to clarify the status of the less complex clai…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, as this is my first time on my feet in the 44th Parliament, I want to thank everyone in Beaches—East York who sent me back to work here, and my riding association and the countless supporters who have really helped me do this work over the last six years. I want to give special thanks to my family in particular for putting up with me, especially my wife Amy. My commitment to Beaches…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for identifying another area of potential collaboration. Unquestionably, we need to work together to advance supply. Our platform, as an example, committed to a $4-billion accelerator that tells cities we will give them money if they push back against Nimbyism, build supply and adopt inclusive zoning and affordability. That is really important, and it is probably …
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I agree that we need to decriminalize all drugs, treat drug use as a health issue and ensure a safer supply. I would say the government has come a long way in a short period of time. I have seen it respond to my own advocacy on this issue and to the advocacy of others. Are we where we need to be yet? No. However, in the recent platform we see a commitment for $500 million for advanc…
Read full speech →Speech from the Throne
Madam Speaker, I understand the Bloc's desire for not having strings attached. My own view, however, is that where federal dollars are supporting provinces and municipalities, it is absolutely fair for us to establish standards that are delivering on federal priorities. As I look to the child care agreements, I see an emphasis, with provinces that did not previously have child care, focusing on ac…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions to present this morning. The first, petition e-3187, is signed by almost 78,000 Canadians who are calling attention to the inherent cruelty in the live shipment of horses for slaughter. It is an inhumane practice, as large draft horses are air-shipped in over 10-hour flights in crates smaller than a single horse stall without food or water, causing injury and dea…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, the last two petitions, 11279761 and 11278785, note that indigenous peoples have rights and title to their traditional territories and have been stewards of these lands. As well, the climate crisis requires action, and old-growth forests provide immeasurable benefits. Old-growth ecosystems in B.C. are endangered, yet logging still continues. Of the remaining almost 3% of the original …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, second is petition e-3114. Atheists are persecuted in several countries by government and the public. Some countries, including Saudi Arabia, label all atheists as terrorists. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled several times that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the right to freedom from religion as much as the right to freedom of religion, yet atheists are de…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, one month from now, we will celebrate Canada and the peace and prosperity we enjoy, and the remains of 215 indigenous kids as young as three were just found in unmarked graves at a so-called school that existed to eliminate indigenous people as indigenous people. We, as Canadians, are often seen as champions of human rights around the world. Our charter has served as a model for other…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, vaccines are the way out of the pandemic and there is nothing more important than each one of us doing our part. For most of us, that simply means getting our shot. However, for the incredible frontline health care professionals and volunteers across our country, it means an unending commitment to help others receive their shot. For example, our East Toronto Health Partners have led…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, it will not be the first time I have turned my mind to this on Canada Day, but I will say, and I expect I will say a month from now, that I am proud of Canada and to be Canadian, but I am not proud of all of Canada, and I am certainly not proud of all of our history. In fact, I am ashamed of this part of our history. The only way that we can be as proud of Canada as we ought to be goi…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there are many things, but I will highlight two. First, many indigenous people no longer live on reserve. Here in Beaches—East York, I represent an urban riding, and I think we need to do much more for our urban indigenous population. When I look at my own riding and the leadership of TASSC and the leadership of Lindsay Kretschmer and more, another woman who has entered my orbit, who …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her passion on this among other subjects. A number of different acts constitute genocide. She has listed off a number of them. Let me say that the intent to destroy an ethnic or racial group through forcibly transferring children of the group to another group constitutes genocide, and yes, I think, in my view, this was genocide.
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have four petitions to present today. The first is e-petition 2997. The petitioners note that animals in puppy mills are kept in cramped, filthy conditions with no opportunity for exercise, socialization or veterinary care. They describe really cruel conditions. They call upon the Government of Canada to ban the operation of puppy mills in the entire country. The second petition is …
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, finally, e-petition 3022 is on food policy. The petitioners note that Canada's current food system, including how our food is produced, processed, procured, distributed, consumed and disposed of, is not aligned with the Canada food guide and the food policy for Canada and is jeopardizing the health of millions of Canadians. They note that during the pandemic, when food security is top…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Mr. Speaker, I have a petition, e-petition 3031, that I would like to present. It is signed by almost 1,400 residents who note that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are unlawful under international law, that Israeli occupation authorities have issued a decision to forcibly evict hundreds of Palestinians from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem …
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Beaches—East York, I speak today in support of Bill C-15. I want to start by acknowledging the work of former NDP member Romeo Saganash. It really highlights how the importance of this issue cuts across party lines, and the significance of working across party lines to get important things done. I have had many constituents reach out to me in support of implementing the U…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, this comes up too often and I think this is an inference of a previous question I received from Conservatives in relation to uncertainty. Of course, I am confident that free, prior and informed consent, as referenced a number of times throughout UNDRIP, will be a key part of the collaboration and communications with indigenous peoples in setting down the action plan under Bill C-15. W…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, we supported Mr. Saganash's efforts in the last Parliament. I have supported every bill that has come before Parliament, so long as I have been in Parliament, in relation to the implementation of UNDRIP. Romeo Saganash's bill should have passed in the last Parliament but for the fact the Conservatives blocked it in the Senate. That is an unfortunate circumstance, but we are rectifying…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of different things. One is that it is curious to me that we would get out ahead of ourselves to determine exactly how this would be implemented, because this is to be implemented in a very codeveloped way in collaboration and consultation with indigenous peoples across the country. The second is that its incredibly important to note, because the Conservatives and t…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I think of the legalization of cannabis in three ways. One is tackling organized crime and undercutting the profits of organized crime. It is not perfect yet, but as the system continues to develop, we will get there, just as we got there with alcohol. Two is that, as The Global Commission on Drug Policy makes clear, a legalized and strictly regulated framework can also reduce acces…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I am in support of Bill C-22. Bill C-22, for those interested in the subject, comes in three parts. It would address mandatory minimum sentences in a serious way; it would restore judicial discretion as it relates to conditional sentencing and an emphasis on restorative justice; and the third piece is an emphasis on treating drug use as a health issue, and I will have more to say ab…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I have called for drug decriminalization since I was elected. I remember the then leader of the Conservative Party getting up in question period and saying that the member for Beaches—East York wants to do this and how dare he. He then asked the Prime Minister what he thought of it. I wondered if I had just indirectly asked the Prime Minister a question in the House of Commons aroun…
Read full speech →Government Orders
Madam Speaker, I do not know that the measures need to be in this bill. It becomes about the implementation of the bill. I mentioned the need to implement it well, and we are lucky insofar as we have a situation right now where the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police recognizes that the status quo is ineffective and we need to reform our drug laws. Prosecutors and judges recognize this as wel…
Read full speech →Routine Proceedings
Madam Speaker, today I will introduce four petitions related to animal welfare. The first two petitions are related to labelling. Petition e-2981, on behalf of over 800 residents, calls for improved consumer labelling to easily inform Canadians whether products have been made using ingredients derived from an animal. Petition e-2614, on behalf of over 900 residents, highlights the science of the r…
Read full speech →Statements by Members
Madam Speaker, in this pandemic, strong public health measures have helped to save lives, but they have also isolated us, including many of our seniors. To combat that isolation, our local constituency office and I sent a big thanks to Marietta and Hanna from my team and worked with 26 teachers from 14 local schools and Community Centre 55 to deliver over 700 letters of love written by elementary …
Read full speech →Orders of the Day
Mr. Speaker, my question is specific to virtual voting, keeping in mind young families, those who may be going through a difficult situation in their lives or people who may be suffering from an illness. Other countries like Israel have had virtual voting, certainly for procedural matters, for a very long time. We now know this can happen in Canada in a relatively straightforward way. We have a vi…
Read full speech →